Learning and teaching

Bloom's learning for mastery (1968) is based on the rule that students vary in many ways. As a result, the “individual differences” must be reflected in learning standards, achievement criteria and teaching policies or practices. A student's aptitude determines how much time they will need to master a subject, not the likelihood that they will never be able to master it. In addition, Bloom believes that the mastery learning theory has a positive impact on students' interest in a subject and, understandably, their self-confidence. At the same time, the article "Good-bye teacher" (1968), Keller also developed his thoughts according to mastery learning. Keller's personalized system of instruction includes small units of time, self-pacing and unit tests with fast feedback etc.

Two thousand years ago, Confucius, a superior Chinese man, held similar statements as Bloom and Keller. Confucius was a teacher and scholar; he taught disciples to study knowledge and seek wisdom. In his view, people are nearly alike by nature, and differences only come from different teachings. Confucius’s education philosophy is to teach different students using different methods. His teaching principles gained wide acceptance primarily because of their basis in common Chinese opinion (Wikipedia, 2006). Some of the practical tenants of the Confucius's teaching were: 1). Self-cultivation exists within the individual, 2). No physical punishment to students, and 3). Study the past as if you would define the Future (Wikipedia, 2006).

In the digital age, what is expected of the teacher when employing Bloom's mastery learning theory into the interactive multimedia learning environment? More people hold the view that the learning achievement through the use of multimedia programs is defined by the software itself. But, Herrington & Oliver (1996) think the benefits of teacher assistance are that teachers can provide hints, suggestions, critical questions, and the “scaffolding” to enable students to solve more complex problems. Even though the interactive multimedia program itself tries to fulfill the coaching role, how can the coach adjust to different students according to different knowledge frames and learning styles? Some multimedia designers take efforts to eliminate pedagogical roles for teachers, but the coaching role is still best performed by the teacher (Herrington & Oliver, 1996). Coaching needs are highly situation-specific and are related to problems that arise as students who attempt to integrate skills and knowledge. Herrington and Oliver (1996) analyzed three essentially different, but frequently observed roles in the use of interactive multimedia: the teacher as transmitter of knowledge, the teacher as coach, and the teacher as manager. They conclude that the teacher as coach is a fundamental and integral part of the process of using interactive multimedia effectively, and should not be overlooked.

[References]:

Bloom, B.S. (1968). Learning for mastery. Evaluation Comment,1(2). Center for the Study of Evaluation of Instructional Programs, UCLA,1968.

Herrington, J & Oliver, R. (1996). The effective use of interactive multimedia in education: design and implementation issues. Proceedings of the Third International Interactive Multimedia Symposium, 169-176. Available URL: http://www.aset.org.au/confs/iims/1996/ek/herrington.html

Keller, F. S. (1968). Good-bye teacher. Journal of Applied Behaviour Analysis, 1, 78-89.

Wikipedia:Confucius. Available URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius